In the US, there are even bandages going into production that tell you how a wound is healing - not to mention tablets with in-built sensors that can relay key information about your body right from the front lining of the stomach, so to speak.

Crossing fingers in the hope that budgets and system efficacy will improve is not an option. The system as it stands offers patients' limited opportunities for self-management and resources are stretched evermore thinly.

Elle Macpherson has genetics on her side but the Queen of pop, Madonna is a yoga-loving, disco dancing, karate kicking, gym hound and it shows. It's fair to say at the age of 56, she has never been fitter. She is proof that it isn't too late to get into exercise, improve your fitness and look hot.

There's who you really are, in the flesh and face-to-face and there's the mask you wear online, how you filter what you do for broadcast on social media to friends and family, and how you behave in the digital arena.

As an adult and a parent I think it's time we start to model the behaviours that we want our young generation to follow. I'm just as guilty of obsessively checking my devices from time to time but one of my resolutions - and one that we have agreed on as a family - is to bring more consciousness into our use of technology.

Within the world of mobile, many still see Apple as the leading name; the iPhone remains a synonym for "cool" and new apps are typically developed for its operating system before any other (with some never appearing in Android-compatible form at all).

Google Glass and other smart glasses are continuing the trend of technological augmentation in the workplace. There may be a lack of 'killer apps' for consumers, but in the workplace smart glasses can already increase productivity.

The past year has seen the world's digital transformation take another significant step forwards. Cyber security, wearable technology, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data and the continuous expansion of the cloud, are all changing the way we interact with technology. But what does the future hold?

So what could replace the smartphone? Rather than smart watches or augmented glasses, I'm following the money and betting on a technology that Facebook, Amazon and Google have all invested in. Drone technology.

Christmas is approaching fast and with it, the unavoidable questions arise: what to buy for whom from where? What's on trend? What's worth investing in? This year, it looks like all people want for Christmas... is a wearable device. Think smartwatches and fitness and health trackers.

One such example of where it is starting to ramp up, is the UK market which is predicted to reach a value of £313.6 million by the end of 2014. Many brands are hoping that the upcoming Christmas period will finally see a breakthrough for wearable technology into the consumer space or certainly soon after as Apple throws its considerable weight behind the market.

App weariness is born, in part, of the sheer volume of applications available across all the devices we use every day. In this saturated market, most people will tend to download the applications they are most familiar with or the ones given the most positive reviews by peers.

Wearable technologies - clothing and accessories incorporating computer and electronic technologies - are increasing in popularity and featured highly on the catwalks this season during recent global fashion shows. And it is likely their popularity will continue to grow further as their presence becomes the new 'norm' in our daily lives, appealing not just to computer geeks and fitness fanatics but everyone.

I believe that if children are to enjoy their right to an education they must be taught by teachers who are properly trained and supported. There is a pressing need to consider how best to train teachers - both new teachers and up-skilling the large numbers of currently unqualified and under-qualified teachers through in-service training.